Illuminating device

ABSTRACT

The device comprises (a) a pile of insulated plates separated by electrically conducting sheets, each conducting sheet being connected to a power source, and (b) a set of electric bulbs, each comprising a stem formed of two laterally protruding conducting parts insulated from each other and provided to be connected each to one of the conducting sheets through penetration of said stem in said pile.

United States Patent [191' Elfverson ILLUMINATING DEVICE [76] Inventor: Goran Elfver Elfverson, 114 avenue de Suffren, Paris, France [22] Filed: Aug. 6, 1973 [21] Appl. N0.: 385,812

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 8, 1972 France 7228602 [52] US. Cl 315/312, 315/161, 315/288, 9

317/101 CC, 317/1 l7, 339/96, 339/99 L [51] Int. Cl. H02b l/02, H05b 37/00 [58] Field of Search 315/161, 184, 288, 312;

317/101 CC, 101 CM, 101 D, 117,119; 339/17 D, 17 M, 18 B, 18 P, 96, 95 A, 97 L,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,067,024 7/1913 Hall et a1. 315/312 X Mar. 25, 1975 3,522,474 8/1970 Piel 317/101 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 571,881 10/1958 Belgium 1,368,914 6/1964 France Primary Examiner-Rudolph V. Rolinec Assistant Examiner-E. R. LaRoche Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Imirie, Smiley & Linn [57] ABSTRACT The device comprises (a) a pile of insulated plates separated by electrically conducting sheets, each conducting sheet being connected to a power source, and

(b) a set of electric bulbs, each comprising a stem formed of two laterally protruding conducting parts insulated from each other and provided to be connected each to one of the conducting sheets through penetration of said stem in said pile.

12 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PHENTEBHARZSIQYS 38,73,885

SHEET 1 UPS ILLUMINATING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for luminous animation utilizing sandwiched panels constituted by a piling of insulating plates and conducting sheets which are electrically supplied for the subsequent supply of electric bulbs which can be selectively connected to said conducting sheets by means of conducting pins.

In devices already known in the art, each bulb comprises a base or socket from which protrude two pins of different length which are pushed into the panel to be set in electrical contact respectively with two distinct conducting sheets.

It has been noticed that said arrangement was not satisfactory because the electrical contact is always poor between the pins and the conducting sheets when the device has been in operation for some time. Actually, the various heatings and vibrations to which the device is submitted during its operation have for their result to widen the holes bored by the pins, then causing always breaks in the contact.

Besides, up to now it has not been possible to realize, upon request of each user, animation devices of very different surfaces and shapes for the realization of very diversified luminous shows which could be changed and renewed many times while using again the same components.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention completely solves the above mentioned problem.

According to the invention, the device comprises at least one panel constituted by a piling of insulating plates separated by a conducting sheet, electrical junction means being electrically connected to each conducting sheet and terminating respectively on at least one side of said panel to electrically connect together the conducting sheets of a panel to the sheets of another panel and to the outputs of an electrical supplying unit for each conducting sheet, and penetrating plugs comprising two conductors separated from each other, one of saidconductors having a length such as .to intercept always the same conducting sheet and the other of said conductors having a length corresponding to the distance separating another conducting sheet of the paneLsaid two conductors being respectively connected to conducting protuberances through which is ensured the electrical contact with the corresponding conducting sheets after each of said two protuberances has passed through that of the conducting sheets to which it has to be electrically connected.

According to another important feature of the invention, the protuberances are formed by a conducting core and by a conducting sleeve concentrically provided to said core, they are substantially lozange shaped and are respectively placed at a distance slightly bigger than distance separating an outer surface of the panel of conducting sheets corresponding to said substantially lozange shaped portions, whereby said conducting sheets are completely crossed by said substantially lozange shaped portions which bear underneath of said conducting sheets after a rotation of substantially 90 of said plug.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the elements of a panel constituting the device of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view showing the realization of a panel.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing the electrical connection existing between successive 0 panels.

FIG. 4 is a top sectional view of a preferred realization of the plugs of the device of the invention.

FIGS. 5 and 5a are diagrammatic sectional views showing particular features of the operation. FIG. 6 is a diagram of a control set for the electrical supply of the device.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are top views showing two variants of the plug of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings, the device comprises at least a block or panel which is constituted by a' sandwiched assembly of electrically insulating plates 1 and between which are inserted sheets, lattices, nettings or other conducting elements 2, which will be called sheets. The number of plates 1 and sheets 2 has no importance and depends only on needs.

The plates 1 are made of semi-rigid insulating material, they must be easily transpirceable and preferably waterproof and nonflamable. The materials they can be made of are typically polystyrenes, expanded polyurethane, formophenols, etc. The sheets 2 are advantageously made of aluminum, copper, brass or other conducting metals or alloys. Said sheets are as thin as possible, for example within the range of one-tenth of millimiter.

It is advantageous that the plates 1 and sheets 2 be fixedly connected together for example by adhesive.

The outer sides of the so realized block are advantageously covered with an insulating skin 3 (FIG. 2), said insulating skin constituting also a decoration.

FIG. 1 shows that semi-cylindrical cavities 4 are made on the lateral sides of plates 1, while the sheets 2 have corresponding stampings 5. Said cavities are used to place sockets 6 having advantageously a flat lug 7 fixed to each sheet 2 by a rivet 8, or welded or fixed by any other means. The ends of the sockets 6 can be flush with the side of the plates 1 or, preferably, be slightly recessing.

FIGS. 3 and 6 show that the sockets 6 may connect together two or more panels A, B, while using conducting pins or rods 9 which snugly fit in the sockets 6 when the panels A, B are brought close to be in mutual contact. In the same way, a panel such as a A can be connected to a supply and programmation assembly C as described hereinbelow with reference to FIG. 6.

The panels A, B are designed for feeding luminous plugs represented in FIG. 4. Said plugs generally desig nated by the letter D, comprise a conducting core 10 having, at its lower portion, a part 11 with a greater diameter and an extension 12 of reduced diameter. The extension 12 terminates, at its lower portion for example through stamping, in substantially lozange shape 13.

A conducting sleeve 14 slipped on the core 10 has an outer diameter at least equal to that of the portion 11 and said sleeve is shaped at its base to delimit alsoa substantially lozange shaped portion 15.

An insulating casing 16, for example made of plastics material, is slipped on the core and on the portion 11 up to the top of the substantially lozange 13. The thickness of said casing 16 selected to be very thin to provide its outer diameter to be at the utmost equal to the width of the lower portion 15 of the sleeve 14. The casing 16 leaves a free space 17 with the inner wall of sleeve 14, and said casing extends only on one portion of the length of the core 10. The space left free between the casing 16 and sleeve 14, and also the space between the core 10 and the sleeve 14 is filled with a glue forming an insulating layer and, at the same time, fixing together the core 10 and said sleeve 14 to prevent any relative rotation therebetween. Glue is also used for fixing a washer 19 made of electrically insulating material extending between a widened portion 20 of the sleeve 14 and a point shaped part 21 extending axially of the core 10.

The washer 19 is made of an electrically insulating material and can be used, if required, to reinforce the locking which has to exist between the core 10 and the sleeve 14. For that purpose, the washer 19 can be provided with a flat portion bearing against an also flat portion of the point shaped part 21 and/or of the core 10. Also, the wall of the point shaped part 21 and the corresponding wall of the washer 19 and the inner wall of the widened portion 20 can be roughned to facilitate adhesion of the glue. Any other mechanical means can,

be used to prevent relevant rotation and other movement between the core 10 and the sleeve 14 to.

The outer wall of the widened portion 20 is advantageously of a polygonal shape, and of 'a non circular shape, to ensure the angular locking of a cap 22 made of translucent material which can be coloured. The cap 22 is locked by means of at least one embossing 23 bearing against a shoulder 24 formed beneath the widened portion 20. The cap 22 encloses a bulb 25 of which the filament 26 is supplied by means of two wires 27, 28.

The wire 27 is passed into a lateral bore 29 ofa block 30 engaged into the cap 22 and blocked by an embossing 31 of said cap. The wire 28 is passed in the same way into a central bore 32 of the block 30 and is folded back as shown in 28a around the base 30a of said block. A collar 33 of an electrically insulating and preferably resilient material is designed to clamp the folded portion 27a of the wire 27 against the inner wall of the widened portion 20. of the sleeve 14.

It is also noted that the point shaped part 21 of the core 10 is engaged into the central bore 32 and is therefore tightened against the wire 28.

As it appears from the above description, the core 10 and the portion 11 of greater diameter are completely electrically insulated as well from the outside as from the sleeve 14, except the end portion 13. Moreover, said core 10 is electrically connected of the wire 28 to the bulb 25 while the sleeve 14 is electrically connected to the wire 27 of said bulb.

In all cases, and as shown in FIG. 2, the sleeve 14 has a fixed length while the portion 12 is of variable length, depending on the plugs, in order to reach and pass through any of the sheets 2, while the portion 15 of the sleeve 14 only reaches the first sheet 2, which is illustrated in FIG. 5, 5a.

To place a plug, the latter is pushed through one of the panels such as A, B, until coming to a stop withthe skin 3 formed on the surface of each panel.

FIG. 5 shows that said penetration causes the perforation of the successive conducting sheets, which is facilitated by the shape in a logenze-shaped of the portions 13 and respectively 15. The perforation forms collars 34 on each side of the bored passage into each sheet 2.

When a plug is entirely pushed into the sheets, it then is rotated through and consequently has the position appearing in FIG. 5a. Said rotation has for its result to widen only a portion of the collars 34 by the heads 13 and 15 and, consequently, to provide a good electrical contact. The other portions of the collars 34 are not widened since, above the heads 13 and 15, both the casing 16 surrounding the portion 11 and the sleeve 14 are of circular section.

FIGS. 5 and 5a show that the electrical contact can be still perfected by placing a spring, for example a resilient washer 35, beneath the widened portion 20, said washer tending to lift the plug after the penetration of the same and its rotation by 90, thus substantially lozange shaped portions 13, 15 are thereby better applied against the collars 34.

The panels such A and B, provided with plugs for lighting bulbs, are electrically supplied, for example as shown in FIG. 6, by a device C which illustrates that the two end sheets 20, 2b are always connected to a same voltage by a common conductor 36 leading to a terminal 37 of a supply source. Consequently, the sleeves 14 of all the plugs D are always at the same potential as said plugs engaged into one or the other side of each panel. With respect to the other sheets 2, said sheets are, for example, connected to separate conductors 38, 38a 38 each of them being connected to a voltage variator 39, 39a 3911 supplied through special switches 40, 40a 4011, which are themselves connected to a general voltage variator 41 which can be supplied from the other terminal 370 of the supply source by a switch 42 enabling, if required. to connect said terminal 37a of the supply source when being in the position represented to the same conductor 38, 38a 3811 but through different programmation device 43.

By placing the plugs D according to various arrangements and by selecting plugs D intercepting a particular one of the sheets 2, very various illuminations can be realized since the corresponding bulbs can be lighted in function of various parameters depending on a handcontrol of switches 40 and voltage variators 39, 39a .39n and 41 or, yet, controlled by the programmation device 43 which can, for example, be constituted by a device sensitive to a sound-program.

FIG. 7 shows a slight variant in the realization of the plugs; in such a variant the portion 11 covered with the insulating casing 16 is made so to have a diameter smaller than that of the base 13a of the lozange shaped portion 13. Thus, during the penetration of the plug, the casing 16 has no friction against the material constituting the plates 1 and sheets 2, whereby the pressure to be exerted on the plug to make the same to penetrate remains substantially the same whatever the length of said plug.

Said limitation of the friction also provides the spring 35, when in use, to have a more efficient action to maintain the portions 13 and 15 against the collars 34 of the conducting sheets 1, since then the friction between the casing 16 and the material of the plates'l is material.

According to FIG. 8, the portion 13 is topped by a second portion 13 being also substantially lozange shaped, and it is the same for the portion 15 which is also topped by a portion 15 of a similar shape. Said arrangement is especially advantageous when two plugs are placed in a panel at a very short distance of each other. Actually, the first engaged plug can cause a warping of the conducting sheet 1 which is passed through by said plug, and said warping can be prejudicial to a good electrical contact which should exist between said sheet itself and the second plug placed in the immediate vicinity of the first one.

Due to the presence of the two adjacent portions 13, 13 on one hand and 15, 15 on the other hand, which have substantially the same shape and which are separated from each other by a narrow segment 44 of a circular section, it is then provided an electrical contact produced at the level of either one of the portions 13, 13 and 15, 15,.

The invention is not restricted to the embodiments shown and described in detail, for various modifications thereof can moreover be applied thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as shown in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Device for luminous animation, comprising at least one panel constituted by a pile of insulating plates of u'niform'width each separated by an electrical conducting sheet and equally spaced by said insulating plates, electrical junction means electrically connected to each electrical conducting sheet and leading respectively to at least one side of said panel to electrically interconnect the conducting sheets of a panel to the sheets of another panel and to outputs of an electrical supplying unit for each conducting sheet and rotatable lighting plugs each comprising a lighting member and a pin axially protruding with respect to said lighting member, said pin having two conductors and an electrically insulating wall at least partially surrounding one of them, and two electrically conducting elements each connected to a respective one of said conductors carried by said pin and laterally protruding therefrom on at least one side, said conducting elements being separated by a distance equal to the thickness of selected insulating plates, whereby said pin is inserted through said insulating plates and conducting sheets together with said two protruding conducting elements penetrating said conducting sheets for electrical contact therewith upon substantially 90 rotation of said pin.

2. Device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the protuberances comprise a conducting core and a conducting sleeve concentrically surrounding said core, said protruding conducting elements being substantially loganzeshaped, and respectively placed at a distance slightly greater than the distance separating an outer surface of the panel from the conducting sheets corresponding to said substantially lozange-shaped portions, whereby said conducting sheets are completely traversed by said substantially lozange-shaped portions which bear underneaath of'said conducting sheets after a rotation of substantially 90 of said plug.

3. Device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the conducting sheets inserted between each pair of insulating plates have at least one stamping in a shape corresponding to cavities made into the insulating plates from at leastone side thereof said stampings having also a shape appropriate to shape of a conducting socket encased in said stamping and into corresponding cavities of the adjacent isulating plates, conducting sticks and plugs being designed to be inserted into said sockets of two contiguous panels, whereby the conducting sheets of two panels which are at a same level are placed at the same electrical potential.

4. Device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the supplying unit comprises at least one supply source of electrical power, a conductor connecting at least one terminal of said supply source to that of the conducting sheets which is nearest of at least one large side of each panel, a control device connected to other terminal of the supply source, said a control device having distinct outputs respectively connected to each other conducting sheets of the panel.

5. Device as set forth in claim 1 wherein each plug comprises a conducting cylindrical core forming, at the lower portion thereof, a point shaped part of a substantially lozange shape, an insulating casing extending outside of the conducting core on at least a portion of the length of said core, a tubular sleeve surrounding said insulating casing and extending over only a portion of the length of said conducting core, said sleeve forming, at one end, a lozange-shaped portion and,-at other end thereof, a widened portion; an electric bulb constituting the lighting member and placed axially with respect to said conducting core, said bulb comprising a filament with a first conductor connected to said core and a second conductor of said filament being connected to said sleeve.

6. Device as set forth in claim 5, further comprising a light permeable cap covering said bulb and engaged on the periphery of said widened portion of said sleeve.

7. Device as set forth in claim 5, wherein electrical connection means are designed between said conducting core and said sleeve to prevent any relative motion of said conducting core relatively to said sleeve.

8. Device as set forth in one of claim 5, wherein the widened portion of said sleeve is insidely provided with an insulating block having at least one central bore and a lateral bore for passing wires connected to the filament of said bulb, a pressure resilient washer pressing said wires against said insulating block and respectively against the inner wall of said widened portion and against a point shaped part extending the conducting core and placed inside the central bore of said block.

9. Device as set forth in claim 5, wherein said insulating casing surrounding the conducting core protrudes beyond the substantially lozange shaped portion of the sleeve placed concentrically to said conducting core, said insulating casing extending up to the substantially lozange shaped portion of said conducting core and having a diameter at the utmost equal to diameter of the sleeve.

10. Device as set forth in claim 5, wherein the insulating casing extending up to the spear-head shaped portion of the conducting core is designed with a diameter smaller than smallest size in width of said substantially lozange shaped portion, whereby said conducting casing has no friction against the material constituting the insulating plates and the conducting sheets of the panels when the plug has penetrated inside the same.

11. Device as set forth in claim 5, comprising a spring surrounding the sleeve placed concentrically to the ducting core and the conducting sleeve surrounding said core have each of them respectively two substantially lozange shaped portions, contiguous to each other and only separated by a narrow segment having 

1. Device for luminous animation, comprising at least one panel constituted by a pile of insulating plates of uniform width each separated by an electrical conducting sheet and equally spaced by said insulating plates, electrical junction means electrically connected to each electrical conducting sheet and leading respectively to at least one side of said panel to elEctrically interconnect the conducting sheets of a panel to the sheets of another panel and to outputs of an electrical supplying unit for each conducting sheet and rotatable lighting plugs each comprising a lighting member and a pin axially protruding with respect to said lighting member, said pin having two conductors and an electrically insulating wall at least partially surrounding one of them, and two electrically conducting elements each connected to a respective one of said conductors carried by said pin and laterally protruding therefrom on at least one side, said conducting elements being separated by a distance equal to the thickness of selected insulating plates, whereby said pin is inserted through said insulating plates and conducting sheets together with said two protruding conducting elements penetrating said conducting sheets for electrical contact therewith upon substantially 90* rotation of said pin.
 2. Device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the protuberances comprise a conducting core and a conducting sleeve concentrically surrounding said core, said protruding conducting elements being substantially loganze-shaped, and respectively placed at a distance slightly greater than the distance separating an outer surface of the panel from the conducting sheets corresponding to said substantially lozange-shaped portions, whereby said conducting sheets are completely traversed by said substantially lozange-shaped portions which bear underneaath of said conducting sheets after a rotation of substantially 90* of said plug.
 3. Device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the conducting sheets inserted between each pair of insulating plates have at least one stamping in a shape corresponding to cavities made into the insulating plates from at least one side thereof said stampings having also a shape appropriate to shape of a conducting socket encased in said stamping and into corresponding cavities of the adjacent isulating plates, conducting sticks and plugs being designed to be inserted into said sockets of two contiguous panels, whereby the conducting sheets of two panels which are at a same level are placed at the same electrical potential.
 4. Device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the supplying unit comprises at least one supply source of electrical power, a conductor connecting at least one terminal of said supply source to that of the conducting sheets which is nearest of at least one large side of each panel, a control device connected to other terminal of the supply source, said a control device having distinct outputs respectively connected to each other conducting sheets of the panel.
 5. Device as set forth in claim 1 wherein each plug comprises a conducting cylindrical core forming, at the lower portion thereof, a point shaped part of a substantially lozange shape, an insulating casing extending outside of the conducting core on at least a portion of the length of said core, a tubular sleeve surrounding said insulating casing and extending over only a portion of the length of said conducting core, said sleeve forming, at one end, a lozange-shaped portion and, at other end thereof, a widened portion; an electric bulb constituting the lighting member and placed axially with respect to said conducting core, said bulb comprising a filament with a first conductor connected to said core and a second conductor of said filament being connected to said sleeve.
 6. Device as set forth in claim 5, further comprising a light permeable cap covering said bulb and engaged on the periphery of said widened portion of said sleeve.
 7. Device as set forth in claim 5, wherein electrical connection means are designed between said conducting core and said sleeve to prevent any relative motion of said conducting core relatively to said sleeve.
 8. Device as set forth in one of claim 5, wherein the widened portion of said sleeve is insidely provided with an insulating block having at least one central bore and a lateral bore for passing wires Connected to the filament of said bulb, a pressure resilient washer pressing said wires against said insulating block and respectively against the inner wall of said widened portion and against a point shaped part extending the conducting core and placed inside the central bore of said block.
 9. Device as set forth in claim 5, wherein said insulating casing surrounding the conducting core protrudes beyond the substantially lozange shaped portion of the sleeve placed concentrically to said conducting core, said insulating casing extending up to the substantially lozange shaped portion of said conducting core and having a diameter at the utmost equal to diameter of the sleeve.
 10. Device as set forth in claim 5, wherein the insulating casing extending up to the spear-head shaped portion of the conducting core is designed with a diameter smaller than smallest size in width of said substantially lozange shaped portion, whereby said conducting casing has no friction against the material constituting the insulating plates and the conducting sheets of the panels when the plug has penetrated inside the same.
 11. Device as set forth in claim 5, comprising a spring surrounding the sleeve placed concentrically to the conducting core and placed between top of each panel and widened portion formed by said sleeve to tend to lift said plug after engagement thereof into a panel by applying said substantially lozange shaped portion against the respective conducting sheets after penetration and rotation through 90* of said plugs.
 12. Device as set forth in claim 5, wherein the conducting core and the conducting sleeve surrounding said core have each of them respectively two substantially lozange shaped portions, contiguous to each other and only separated by a narrow segment having a circular shape. 